Most Popular
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Tensions heighten ahead of first president-opposition chief meeting
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Seoul to provide housing subsidy to married couples with newborns
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[KH Explains] No more 'Michael' at Kakao Games
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Rapper jailed after public street fight with another rapper
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Woman gets suspended term for injuring boyfriend with knife
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Samsung chief bolsters ties with Germany’s Zeiss
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Nominee for chief of anti-corruption body pledges 'independence, effectiveness'
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NewJeans pops out ‘Bubble Gum’ video amid troubles at agency
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Med schools expect 1,500+ new admission slots next year
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KT launches new mobile plans for foreign residents
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DP, Ahn hold first convention for new party
The main opposition Democratic Party and independent Rep. Ahn Cheol-soo’s political group on Sunday convened the first major gathering of key members, accelerating the process of establishing a new coalition party.Nearly 680 members from the two sides gathered in Seoul for the meeting to forge consensus over guidelines, platforms and key rules for the new party, slated to be launched on March 26.The gathering came some two weeks after the DP and Ahn announced their plan to launch a new party, wh
March 16, 2014
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Ex-P.M. declares Seoul candidacy
Former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik officially announced his bid for mayor of Seoul on Sunday, pledging to turn the capital into a city that saves lives.“I will engage in the Seoul mayor race with the determination that I will give my all,” Kim, 65, said at a news conference at the headquarters of the ruling Saenuri Party.He also said that he will make efforts to improve the municipal government’s welfare safety net, citing recent group suicides of financially distressed families.A mother and he
March 16, 2014
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Opposition coalition initiates official groundwork for new party
The main opposition Democratic Party and maverick lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo on Sunday began formal groundwork for a new coalition party to be launched later this month to challenge the ruling camp in the upcoming local elections and ultimately in the next presidential race.Some 330 members each from the DP and Ahn's party-in-the-making "New Political Vision Party" convened for the first official meeting to discuss guidelines for the party's launch scheduled for March 26.DP leader Kim Han-gil and en
March 16, 2014
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Seoul welcomes Tokyo's announcement to stand by sex slaver
South Korean President Park Geun-hye welcomed Japan's announcement that it would stand by past historical apologies, her spokesman said Saturday, raising hopes of a turnaround in strained Seoul-Tokyo relations."We are glad that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his intention to inherit the Murayama and Kono statements," Park was quoted as saying by presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook."We hope this will be a chance to ease the pain of victims from Japan's wartime sex slavery, and further bols
March 15, 2014
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[Photo News] Lunch with bishops
March 14, 2014
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Park to visit Netherlands, Germany this month
President Park Geun-hye will visit the Netherlands later this month for a summit of global leaders aimed at making the world safer and free of nuclear weapons. She will also fly to Germany for a state visit after the summit, Cheong Wa Dae said Friday.The March 23-28 trip to the Hague and then to the German cities of Berlin, Dresden and Frankfurt is Park’s second overseas trip this year after January’s visit to India and Switzerland. While the January trip focused mostly on economic cooperation,
March 14, 2014
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Park to chair preparatory committee on unification
South Korean President Park Geun-hye will chair an envisioned presidential committee for unification with North Korea, an official said Friday, a rare decision apparently designed to show she cares deeply about the issue.Park ordered the committee’s formation in her New Year’s news conference in January, saying the country should make preparations for unification that she said would be a “bonanza” for the two Koreas as well as a blessing for neighboring countries.On Friday, senior presidential f
March 14, 2014
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Police raid KT over T-money irregularities
The police raided head office of KT, the country’s second-largest telecom company, in Seoul on Wednesday, in a widening investigation into alleged irregularities in bidding for transit card projects in Seoul.KT is suspected of lobbying members of a bidding committee to select contractors for the latest T-money project.Officials said Friday that they had secured computer hard disks and documents to look for evidence of wrongdoing in the bidding process.Days earlier, police raided Hanwha S&C, a co
March 14, 2014
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Former P.M. Kim joins Seoul mayoral race
Would-be conservative Seoul mayoral candidates are jostling for position as the Saenuri Party’s lineup for its primaries nears completion. On Friday, former Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik returned from an extended trip to the U.S. to officially begin his campaign. With an official declaration on Sunday, Kim will join Rep. Chung Mong-joon, a seven-term lawmaker who headed the conservatives from 2009 to 2010, and Saenuri Party supreme council member Lee Hye-hoon at the starting line. “Taking Seoul m
March 14, 2014
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Park names new head of communications, broadcasting watchdog
President Park Geun-hye has nominated a senior judge to head the communications and broadcasting watchdog, her spokesman announced Friday. Choi Sung-joon, a senior judge at the Seoul High Court, was named to replace Lee Kyeong-jae as head of the Korea Communications Commission, presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said. Lee's term is set to expire on March 25. Choi's nomination is subject to a parliamentary confirmation hearing. "Nominee Choi is expected to carry out the duties of the commi
March 14, 2014
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[Graphic News] Lawmakers raise W38.1b in political donations in 2013
Lawmakers raised a combined 38.1 billion won ($35.9 million) in political donations last year, data showed Thursday.According to the data released by the National Election Commission, each lawmaker on average raised 120 million won from their supporters in the year, which had no major elections. The country held both general and presidential elections in 2012.Of 300 lawmakers, two were excluded from the data as they did not have supporters’ associations. Lawmakers of the ruling Saenuri Party, wh
March 13, 2014
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[Newsmaker] Park's metaphors gild the lily
President Park Geun-hye’s use of uncharacteristically colorful expressions as she pushes for regulatory reform is generating ripples across the nation.Politicians on both sides are closely following her words, with some taking to mimicking her to further their own agendas, while her words have decorated newspaper headlines on a daily basis. Since the beginning of February, Park has used increasingly strong expressions to stress the need to ease regulations.On Feb. 5, she called for the governmen
March 13, 2014
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Historical perceptions hinder ties with neighbors: Park
President Park Geun-hye said she wants to leave a “legacy of friendship” with neighboring nations, but differences in perception of history pose obstacles to that vision.Park made the remark in an interview with CNN earlier this week, referring to Seoul’s relations with Tokyo that have been frayed badly due to Japan’s attempts to glorify its militaristic past and whitewash atrocities committed during its 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea.“Because issues regarding the perception of history fundament
March 13, 2014
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Korean consul grilled on evidence forgery
The South Korean consul implicated in the spy agency’s alleged evidence forgery was summoned for questioning as opposition parties intensify calls for the spy chief’s dismissal. On Thursday the prosecution summoned Lee In-chul, a consul at the South Korean mission in Shenyang, China, as a suspect in the case. Lee is alleged to have been deeply involved in the NIS gaining forged Chinese immigration documents that supposedly substantiated former Seoul City official Yoo Woo-seong’s travels to North
March 13, 2014
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NIS chief faces pressure to resign
Spy chief Nam Jae-joon is coming under mounting pressure to step down as the prosecution’s investigation into the National Intelligence Service’s alleged evidence forgery expands. On Wednesday, the prosecutors arrested an NIS collaborator who allegedly provided the forged evidence, and questioned Yoo Woo-seong, who is accused of spying for North Korea. Although Yoo, a former Seoul City official of Chinese-North Korean descent, was initially acquitted, the prosecution appealed using Chinese immig
March 12, 2014
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Korea, Canada seal FTA
South Korea and Canada on Tuesday struck a free trade deal after nearly nine years of negotiations, agreeing to phase out tariffs on most imports and exports within 10 years of the deal’s effectuation.The agreement came after President Park Geun-hye and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper held a summit in Seoul to discuss an array of bilateral and global issues including security and economic cooperation.“The South Korea-Canada FTA can be called a new rule of bilateral cooperation. We have hi
March 11, 2014
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NIS under fire as probe gains momentum
The National Intelligence Service is coming under increasingly heavy fire from the political arena as the prosecution’s investigation speeds up. On Monday, the prosecution raided the NIS, hours after President Park Geun-hye called for a thorough investigation into the allegations of evidence fabrication. The prosecution is reportedly analyzing confiscated materials and questioning NIS agents linked to the case. The NIS agents implicated, said to number four or five, were banned from leaving the
March 11, 2014
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S. Korea, Vietnam to hold new round of FTA negotiations this week
South Korea and Vietnam will hold a fresh round of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement this week, the South Korean government said Tuesday.The fourth round of FTA negotiations between the two countries will be held in Ho Chi Minh City from Wednesday to Friday, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy."At the upcoming fourth round of negotiations, the two countries plan to hold in-depth discussions on various areas, such as products, service, investment, country of or
March 11, 2014
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S. Korea, Canada declare conclusion of FTA negotiations
South Korea and Canada on Tuesday concluded their negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement that, once implemented, is expected to help significantly boost their bilateral trade.The conclusion of negotiations came at the two nations' trade ministers' talks held in Seoul earlier in the day, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy here."At the trade ministers' talks, the sides confirmed that an agreement has been reached for the Korea-Canada FTA after all remaining issues h
March 11, 2014
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Park to hold summit with Canada amid hopes for free trade deal
South Korean President Park Geun-hye was to hold summit talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday amid reports the two sides could announce the conclusion of a free trade deal after nine years of negotiations.Harper arrived Monday for a two-day visit, his fourth trip to South Korea. Tuesday's summit will be the second time for Park and Harper to meet. They first met one-on-one on the sidelines of a summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum last year.Canadian report
March 11, 2014